Slide for separable fasteners



p 1939- Q A. LE V. HYDE 2,174,002

SLIDE FOR SEPARABLE FASTENERS Filed Aug. 30, 1958 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

. Hookless fasteners,

Patented Sept. 26, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,174,002 SLIDE FOR SEPARABLEFASTENERS Arthur Le Verne Hyde,

Blackwood, N. J., assignor to Rainbow Plastics Corporation,

Grenloch,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 30, 1938, SerialNo. 227,451 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-295) The present invention relates toseparable fasteners and more particularly to slides for interlocking anddisengaging two rows of. hookless fastener elements.

particularly when used on garments, are apt to spontaneously open, the

slide being moved downwardly to separate the fastener elements undertension of body movements, frequently causing embarrassment ordiscomfort.

In metallic slides. due to the characteristic tensile strength of themetal, it has been possible to provide various means for preventinginadvertent separation of the fastener elements,

which means are not suitable for the relatively brittle thermoplasticmaterials, with which this invention primarily concerns itself.

The present invention, therefore, contemplates the provision of normalmeans for anchoring :1 or looking the slide on the fastener element rowsagainst spontaneous, inadvertent separatlon which means are adaptablefor incorporation in thermoplastic slides as well as metallic slides.

35 This invention contemplates the provisionv of slides having means forengaging the non-locking end elements usually provided on rows offastener elements whereby the slide is prevented from spontaneouslysliding down the element so rows to separate the same.

This invention further contemplates the provision of slides of thecharacter described which are highly economical to produce being capableof casting or molding complete with its fastener locking means in onesingle operation.

The construction and advantages of the hookless fastener slides of thepresent invention-will be made clear by the embodiment thereof which isillustrated in the accompanying drawing in 40 which- Fig. 1 is afrontview of a slide of the present invention partly broken away, to show thefastener element engaging means.

Fig. 2 is an edge view 01' the same.

45 Fig. 3 is a view of the slide arranged on two rows of fastenerelements in partly openposition.

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the fastener elements completelyinterlocked and the slide arranged against slipping.

50 The slide III, which is illustrated, is of the usual type, consistingof a front and rear wall l2 and I4, respectively arranged in parallel inspaced relation and connected at their upper end by a. relatively thinbridge I6.

Each of the walls is of the same shape, being narrowest at the lower endand tapering putwardly upwardly, with the sides converging, at the upperportion thereof, to the bridge IS.

The outwardly tapering portions of the walls are each provided withflanges l8 facing one 6 another, to thereby form side walls for thekeyway 20, intermediate the walls. I! and M. The opposed flanges havetheir edges spaced to form guide slots 22 in the side walls for thetapes 24, hearing the rows of fastener elements 26.

The slide Ill operates in the usual manner by admitting into each of thetwo keyway openings 28 formed on either side of the bridge one of twofacing rows of fastener elements 26, the supporting tapes 24 beinginserted into the guiding '16 slots 22. As the rows of fastener elementspass outwardly of the slide outlet at, at the narrow end thereof, bymoving the slide upwardly along the rows, the facing fastener elementsare urged by the side walls to interlock.

For the purpose of-manipulating the slide, the front wall 92 may beprovided with means for manual engagement, such as the closed loop 32,which may itself be manually grasped or within which a ring, ribbon orchain may be attached as in a manner thatmay be readily understood andwhich, therefore, it is not thought necessary to be here shown.

The slide it is provided, at its upper end in the usual manner, withmeans for separating 30 and disengaging'the fastener elements to openthem. Such means may comprisethe wedgeshaped edge 33, of the bridge l6,which, upon pressing the slide downwardly, separates and disengages theadjacent interlocked elements from one another.

To provide means for engaging the slide on the rows of fastener elementsto prevent involuntary or inadvertent disengagement of the fastenersafter they have all been interlocked, each 40 flange on each side isprovided with a squared notch 34 in its edge, at a point adjacent theupper ends of the flanges, the notches in opposed flanges on each sideforming a squared aperture 86 in the side wall of the keyway 20 of asize'suitable to accommodate the non-fastening end pieces 38 provided atthe upper end of each fastener row to block the removal of the slidefrom-the interlocked rows of fasteners.

In accordance with the usual practice, these members 36 are somewhatlarger than the fastener elements so that while they are small enough tobe admitted into the keyway 20 through openings, 28, they-are.sufliciently large to form a combined widthywhen juxtaposed,

too large to permit their passage through the outlet opening 3|].

It will now be apparent-that as the rows of fasteners are completelyinterlocked, the end pieces 33 will be within the keyway 23, oppositethe squared openings 36. It will, therefore, be clear that by slightlyspreading the edges of the tapes apart, these end pieces 38 will beforced with their rear edges into the squared openings 36 to engage theslide thereon against inadvertent movement thereof.

It will also be apparent that to release the slide for movement, aslight convergent movement of the tapes will sufllce to release the endpiece from the squared openings 36 and thus freethe slide for movement.

This completes the description of the slide for separable fasteners ofthe present invention. And it may here be stated that besides beinghighly effective and eihcient for its purpose and simple to operate, itis also highly economical to manufacture for the reason that the lockingmeans thereon are capable of being formed in one and the same operation,forming the slide, requiring no further operation or processing.

It is to be understood that while the present invention has itsgreatestuse in thermoplastic slides, it is equally suitable for applicabilitywith metallic slides. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to theembodiment herein described, but

desire to be protected for any modifications and variations that may bemade without inventive effort and with the spirit and scope of theinvention and of the appended claim.

I claim:

In combination with cooperating rows of hookless fastener elementsarranged on supporting tapes, each row having a squared end piece, aslide having spaced downwardly convergent front and rear walls to form akeyway and flanges on the sides of said walls facing one another to formside walls for the keyway, a recess in the edge of each flange adjacentits upper end, the recesses in opposed flanges forming an apertureadapted to receive the rear edges of end pieces, said end pieces beingof such length that their combined length is less than the distancebetween the flanges of the keyway above the recesses and greater thanthe distance between said flanges below said recesses whereby said endpieces will enter said slide only as far as said recesses and willbepositioned relative to said recesses whereby a lateral movement ofsaid end pieces will 'cause the rear ends thereof said recesses tothereby engage the slide against inadvertent movement.

ARTHUR LE VERNE HYDE.

to enter 25

